


Something, Anything

by thewayshedreamed



Category: A Court of Thorns and Roses Series - Sarah J. Maas, MAAS Sarah J. - Works
Genre: Alternate Universe - Bodyguard, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Dirty Talk, Explicit Sexual Content, F/M, Modern AU, Nesta Archeron/Cassian Smut, POV Nesta Archeron, Resolved Sexual Tension, Sexual Content, Sexual Tension, Shameless Smut, Smut
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-29
Updated: 2021-03-07
Packaged: 2021-03-10 22:08:30
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 11,778
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28394391
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thewayshedreamed/pseuds/thewayshedreamed
Summary: Very little plot for this one— written to fill the prompt:Nessian prompt Modern Au: Nesta needs a bodyguard to protect/scort her during all day and night. Smut maybe?Shameless Nessian tension + smut.Will be a series of prompt driven chapters and will be updated periodically!
Relationships: Nesta Archeron & Cassian, Nesta Archeron/Cassian
Comments: 14
Kudos: 118





	1. Something, Anything | Bodyguard AU, Part 1

**Author's Note:**

> Warning(s) for graphic content, suggestive dialogue, and smut. Intended for mature audiences only.

——————————————————————————

“I’m just going to run to the restroom really quickly. I’ll be right back.”

Nesta saw her opportunity, and she planned to take it. She had already mentally mapped out the small event center that held her firm’s end of the year party to determine the best escape route. The revelry had long since worn out its welcome, leaving Nesta depleted and irritable.

“I’ll walk with you. I could use a bathroom break myself.”

Her insufferable bodyguard— although she refused to actually call him so— wasn’t easily deterred from his charge, it seemed. Nesta resisted an eye roll at his words and decided instead to walk quickly and purposefully through the crowd. His hulking form didn’t move through the sea of people quite as gracefully. She repressed a smile at his bitter mumbling behind her.

When she had been assigned her current case, _Prythian vs. Beron Vanserra_ , her firm had insisted on around-the-clock security. Nesta hated the idea immediately and had adamantly refused having someone around 24-7, even if it was for the purpose of her safety. As it turned out, her firm hadn’t presented it as something optional, and they gave her two choices: agree to having a security detail or relinquish the case to another prosecutor who would be more agreeable. Beron had connections and was powerful beyond what they actually knew already. They weren’t willing to take any risks.

Nesta deserved the case; had worked the entirety of her young adult life to become one of the most knowledgeable, skilled, and ruthless prosecutors in Prythian. To a certain degree, it seemed tailor-made for her. Beron was charged with repeated physical and emotional abuse toward his wife, and with everything Nesta had already survived, she knew she would have the necessary combination of skill and passion to best anyone who dared represent the man.

Even if having someone looming over her every move was incredibly distracting.

The door to the public bathroom was heavy, pulling a groan from Nesta. She leaned against the wall just inside the entryway, counting to 30 and peeking outside the door. No sign of her bodyguard anywhere in the immediate perimeter; it was now or never.

She slipped around the door like a wraith, hoping it would close quietly behind her in the event one could hear the comings and goings from the adjacent men’s room. The wall along the outside of the party became her ally, and she tried her best to blend in order to leave without interruption.

The view of the vacant hallway made her body sag with relief. She considered forgoing her pre-planned route altogether for the sake of time, but in the event that there happened to be any witnesses, she wanted the information they relayed to her bodyguard to be as disorienting as possible. All she needed was time.

Finally, she was walking briskly through the parking garage toward the huge, black SUV that was her assigned ride for the time being. It was unmarked, with blackout tint all around, only increasing the possibility that she escaped this party without a clear indicator of her identity to any onlookers. She relaxed into the driver’s seat with her eyes closed, basking in the silence that followed her shutting the door.

“I thought everyone learned to check the backseat anytime they entered a vehicle,” a deep, husky voice announced, “even those who don’t have assigned guards.”

“Fuck!” Nesta exclaimed, her eyes flying open to lock onto hazel ones in the rear view mirror. Those eyes crinkled at her startling. He was obviously pleased with himself.

Her heartbeat settled in the silence that followed, though she pointedly ignored the flush occasioned by the man’s voice. She turned her head toward him and readied herself for the questions and scolding that would surely follow.

Cassian sat on the passenger side, his back settled in the corner between the backseat and the door. One of his long legs was stretched along the bench seat, and his arm was draped across the back. His attention drifted to his free hand, his fingers curled toward him and his thumb running along his cuticles.

“Are you going to tell me what the fuck you’re doing here?” Nesta spat, annoyed at his nonchalance.

“I thought you’d like to go first, but sure.” He paused for a few seconds before lifting his gaze to meet hers. She ignored the pang that traveled through her at the action. “I came out of the bathroom, and you weren’t there. That wasn’t unusual considering it takes you an average of 2 minutes for a routine bathroom trip, give or take 30 seconds.

“I knew I was gone for about a minute, so I waited. When you didn’t come out, I asked a woman if there was a beautiful, yet moody-looking, woman inside. The rest was a series of educated guesses.”

Nesta scoffed. “Did that woman not think you a creep for posting yourself outside the women’s bathroom?”

The question earned a smirk from Cassian, the expression softening the sharp angle of his cheekbones. “While you may not find me especially charming, she must have seen something in me. I told her I was a lookout for my best friend who was planning to propose in the next few minutes.”

“How clever. Sounds like luck was on your side, especially with all those educated guesses.”

“Want to know the truth?” Cassian sat up then, sitting with his elbows perched on his knees. His closer proximity bathed her in his smoky, woodsy scent. Nesta turned toward the windshield again, her jaw clenched as she fought her desire to throttle him.

“I have a feeling you’ll tell me regardless.”

A chuckle bubbled out of Cassian, followed by his low, gruff voice. “And here I was thinking you didn’t pay attention.

“The truth is, I’m being modest. It wasn’t so much an educated guess as it was pulling on weeks of what I’ve learned about you.”

It was Nesta’s turn to laugh, a manic, humorless thing. “This should be good.”

Cassian pulled himself forward to the edge of the bench seat, his thighs splayed wide so that he could lean an elbow on the center console. She only allowed herself a sideways glance at the man before turning her gaze to the concrete wall of the parking garage before her.

“You’re temperamental and self-centered when you’re made to do something you don’t want to do. There’s a reason you offered to carry the keys in your handbag when we arrived, and it definitely wasn’t to make sure I was comfortable.”

Nesta only nodded, frustrated that she was so transparent.

“You scanned every damn wall on our way in as if you were casing the place. I’ve created enough exit routes for the two of us to know what it looks like.”

“Ok, fine. But for all you knew, I actually had to use the bathroom.”

“True, but I already told you how I knew otherwise. Gonna need you to keep up, Sweetheart.”

She slid a scathing glare his way, only to be met with an amused expression from Cassian. Her eyes scanned over his tan face, noting that things would be a lot easier if he wasn’t so... blessed.

“Since you studied the event center like you were going to be tested on it at the end of the party, I figured you had some intricate escape plan. I took the most direct route possible; saved some time on a couple of shortcuts I identified on the way in. I used the keypad to unlock the doors, and here I am.”

“Shortcuts? You didn’t say anything to me about shortcuts.”

“No, I didn’t. You had our keys and were making a plan. I kept that little tidbit to myself.”

Cassian offered a wink her way, and she hated how her body responded to it. In an effort to redirect her internal reaction, she rolled her eyes at the man.

“So,” he summarized, “like I said; much less to do with luck as it did with actual skill. There’s a reason your firm hired me, Nesta. You could make your life much easier to remember it.”

Nesta’s attention snapped to his face. She noticed the tension in his jaw and the conviction in his eyes; the look of a man who wasn’t at all amused with her escape attempt. But who was he to determine what she did or didn’t do?

“I suppose you’re really pleased with yourself for figuring me out. Were you expecting applause? Reverence for your intellect?” she seethed. She meant to look away, but she found that she couldn’t.

“No. None of that. Maybe you could tell me why you insist on making my job way fucking harder than it needs to be.”

Nesta’s patience wasn’t the only one running thin, apparently. She huffed an unimpressed laugh at his irritation.

“Why would you presume it to be about you? Have you considered that I want to be left _alone_? That I may appreciate a little solitude?”

Cassian squeezed his eyes shut. When he opened them again to address her, they burned almost golden in the low light of the SUV.

“For fuck’s sake, Nesta. We all want a lot of things, but right now, it’s my job to be a fly on the wall wherever you are. I watch you like a hawk because you’re trying to dodge me every fucking chance you get, and I’m not getting fired because you’re throwing a fit.”

“Throwing a _fit_?! It has nothing to do with me throwing a fit. I had the option to walk away from this case if having a guard wasn’t something I was willing to accept. It’s not that, it’s— it’s you!”

She watched as a blush ran to his cheeks and realized she obviously struck a nerve. Cassian seemed like a man with a temper, and she wondered if she was about to find out. For good measure, she angled her body his way and shoved his shoulder, trying to prompt him to return to the backseat. Cauldron, it was too much to be this close.

Cassian caught her wrist so quickly that she hadn’t even a second to try and evade him. His grip was firm, but not too tight, and his jaw ticked in irritation.

“You’re unbelievable, you know that? How the fuck is this my fault?!” His chest heaved with the effort of keeping his anger in check.

“Because, everything about you is distracting! This is the biggest case of my life, and I can’t think with you around!” she exploded, realizing too late that she said too much.

Although she knew better, she couldn’t help watching as his eyes darkened. Her attention was glued to the man before her, his hand around her wrist sending heat through her body as she waited for his response. She watched as his eyes trailed down to her lips and snapped right back up to meet her gaze again.

Nesta could see her own chest heaving, her body screaming to close the distance between the two of them. Until that moment, she hadn’t considered _why_ the man was so distracting, but her urges made it abundantly clear. The tension between them was palpable.

She studied his face as he had hers, dropping her eyes to his lips to really appreciate the shape and fullness of his mouth. She had never allowed herself the luxury before. Usually one to overthink, Nesta decided she didn’t want to entertain a million scenarios of how this moment would turn out. Their dynamic was changed by the conversation alone, so why deny herself anymore?

Both of them moved forward at the same time, their lips crashing together hungrily. Cassian groaned as she angled her mouth over his and tugged her wrist to encourage her to follow him. She turned her body to follow him, and as if encouraged by her willingness, he gripped her waist with his other arm to pull her roughly into him.

Nesta scrambled to keep up with the speed of his movements, straddling his hips in the backseat. She threaded her fingers into his hair and pulled; angling his head back to capture his mouth more fully. His tongue traced the seam of her lips, and she opened up for him eagerly.

“This is a terrible idea,” she said against his mouth, her hips starting to move against him. Her hands found the knot of his tie, and she pulled roughly at the two sides to free him of it as soon as possible.

Cassian grunted at her eagerness, the evidence of his own pressed tightly against her inner thigh. “Definitely,” he moaned.

She leaned away, her eyes searching his and hands poised over the top buttons of his dress shirt. “Do you want me to stop?”

“Fuck, no.”

Nesta hadn’t experienced passion like it before. Every movement was purposeful and deliberate, the two of them devouring the other in any way they could. Her guard’s hands were everywhere, gripping her firmly against him and rocking his hips into hers shamelessly. She whined at the contact, particularly when his hands slid beneath the hem of her dress to cup her backside.

The buttons of his shirt were finally free, allowing Nesta to run her hands greedily over the tattoos of his chest. Cassian groaned his approval at feeling her skin dancing along his and pulled her roughly into him. The action motivated her to trail her way down his chest in favor of working on the man’s belt and pants.

Once his pants were undone, Nesta reached into his boxer briefs to palm his length. Her eyes were closed as she kissed him, all tongue and teeth, and she was grateful for the fact. Otherwise her eyes may have rolled at the feeling of his generous size filling her palm.

“Shit,” he ground out, gripping the back of her neck to deepen the kiss further.

Nesta brought her palm up to her mouth to lick it, allowing her hand to glide over him more effectively. Cassian’s hand kneaded her backside before moving up to slip the thin strap of her dress off her shoulder. His touch sent goose flesh over that side of her body, and she keened when she felt his large hand massage her breast.

“Nesta,” he breathed, his breath ghosting over her neck as he moved to place kisses there. “You’re fucking killing me.”

A satisfied smirk donned her face, and she couldn’t resist the snark that bubbled out of her. “About to come already?”

She half-expected that her bodyguard would have paused at that, or been surprised, at least. He didn’t miss a beat in his torture against her neck as he responded, “Who has left you with such low expectations, Sweetheart?”

 _Everyone_ , she thought, but she wouldn’t dare tell him. Instead, she pumped her hand faster, earning a deep moan from the sculpture of a man beneath her.

“I need to be inside you,” he stated, his tone tortured.

“Condom?”

Cassian leaned away from her neck, amusement etched across his face at her question. “I didn’t exactly think I would need condoms at work, so no.” His expression morphed to one of regret and longing at his words.

“I have one,” she announced, turning abruptly to lean over the console and look through her bag. She was rifling through the contents when she felt Cassian’s calloused hands moving against her rear.

“Fuck, Nesta. Seriously?” he asked incredulously. Nesta giggled at the pained tone of his voice; as if having to wait patiently for her to return was nearly impossible. She paused to wonder what she must look like with the hem of her dress pushed around her waist and the top of it hanging just beneath her breasts. She decided she didn’t really care.

Pushing herself off the console, she eased into a seated position near him and tore impatiently at the foil packet.

“I should have known you would torment me.”

“Well,” she began as she rolled the condom down his length. “You did say I make everything more difficult.”

Nesta hadn’t tried to mask the irritation in her voice considering their earlier conversation. Nevertheless, she still hadn’t expected the look of vexation Cassian slid her way. The man turned more fully toward her, gripping her waist to turn her and pull her onto her knees. His massive form curved over hers, barely fitting over her with the roof of the SUV above them.

Nesta lowered herself to her elbows to allow him more room, earning a deep moan that rumbled against her back. Cassian took the shell of her ear between his teeth just before his breath fanned over her ear at his response.

“And I stand by that. What am I supposed to do with you, Sweetheart?”

“Fuck me. I thought we were on the same page here.”

Cassian growled as he entered her in one solid thrust. Once buried to the hilt, he paused to allow her to adjust, but Nesta wasn’t sure she would ever grow used to the pleasure coursing through her body. He seemed to rest against every pleasure center available and would likely have her coming in an embarrassing amount of time. Her core clenched around him as she fought to center herself, and the man grunted his approval.

“Gods, that mouth,” he commented through clenched teeth. His weight sagged against her slightly, but he held most of it with an arm along the back of the seat. “You are so fucking tight, Nesta. _Shit_.”

His words encouraged her to roll her hips, and the two of them moaned at the feel of the other. The movement was heavenly, and as she suspected, Nesta began to clench around him after only a handful of thrusts.

“Are you about to come? Already?” Cassian asked, his rhythm never interrupted.

His gruff voice did nothing to help matters, and Nesta felt a flicker of annoyance at, what she now felt, was a stupid fucking question.

“Isn’t that the point?”

Sudden emptiness jolted her attention, but before she could demand an explanation, Cassian was speaking again.

“Did you just sass me?” he asked as he leaned away, his hands returning to their previous ministrations across her ass. His dark tone had her core clenching despite him no longer being inside her.

“Does that surprise you?”

A low, husky chuckle was his only reply initially. Nesta grew impatient at his teasing; only intensified by the extra attention to her assets.

“Look, if you’re going to spank me for the back talk or whatever, let’s get on with it. I need you,” she ordered. To further illustrate her point, she pressed the seam of her ass against his length, and the man moaned as if it pained him.

That damned voice caressed her once again. “Do you like that, Nes? You want me to be rough with you, baby?”

Thankfully, he eased into her again without waiting for her response. When he stilled, she nearly growled with need.

“Cassian, by the gods. _Please_.”

Whatever resolve the man had tapped into to tease her so mercifully must have dwindled. He snapped his hips into hers , reaching a hand around to cup one of her breasts and massage it roughly. Nesta cried out, in both pleasure and relief, as he moved, and she admonished herself for not being discreet. Cassian either read her mind, or she uttered the reminder aloud, because he promptly disagreed.

“Let me hear you, Sweetheart,” he paused to maintain his rhythm, the only sound in the SUV being the slap of their hips coming together and the jingling of his loose belt buckle. “Tell me what you want.”

A low, guttural moan came from Nesta at his prompting. She was so full, so overwhelmed already, that she desperately needed to come. He had built her up so wonderfully, and she was so ready to come down.

“ _Cassian_ —“ she begged, although she hadn’t really offered anything that would make her desires clear. “Ah— ah— fuck. I’m gonna come. Harder, Cassian. _Please_.”

At her words, one of his large hands landed against her ass with a loud clap. He smoothed his hand over it to soothe the hurt before he responded. “Fucking finally you give me something, _anything_ to make things easier.” His thrusts were deeper, harder just as she asked, and Nesta could tell release was imminent. By the volume of her voice, Cassian probably knew as much, too.

“Come for me,” he instructed. Her core clenched more tightly around him at his words. Nesta was nearly dizzy with need, her hips rocking back to meet him thrust for thrust. “There you go. Come on, Nesta. Come for me, Sweetheart.”

Nesta’s jaw dropped in a silent cry, every muscle in her body engaged, before release barreled through her. Her voice finally caught up with her pleasure, and she called out his name repeatedly as he worked her through her high.

Cassian’s rhythm turned sloppy at his own impending release, and within seconds, Nesta felt him grow slightly harder inside her. The next second his cock was twitching, his face dropping between her shoulder blades as he groaned loudly through his own orgasm.

They stayed that way for a couple of minutes, panting until they gathered themselves enough to separate. Nesta whimpered as Cassian pulled out of her and gently pulled the hem of her dress back down. She moved into a seated position to adjust the top of her dress, glancing over to see Cassian adjusting his clothing as well.

Wordlessly, the pair climbed out of their respective doors, crossing paths at the rear of the vehicle. They nearly ran into each other, chuckling awkwardly as they each tried to go the same direction in order to get around. Once they managed to navigate around one another, Nesta settled into the passenger seat and grabbed the keys to offer them to Cassian.

He accepted them with a small smile, not daring to make eye contact as he did so. Nesta wouldn’t be caught complaining about it considering the line they had just crossed. Her bodyguard deftly maneuvered through the parking garage and pulled out onto the road to head to her house.

Nesta looked out the window as he drove, her legs crossed and foot bouncing nervously at the awkwardness between them. Cassian’s elbow was perched on the center console, and at hearing his sigh, she turned to see him drag a cupped hand down the front of his face. His stubble made a scratching sound as he gripped his chin, rubbing it back and forth in a nervous gesture.

“So, do we talk about it, or...”

“There’s nothing to talk about. It won’t be happening again,” Nesta stated, her voice clipped.

Cassian nodded uncomfortably. “Alright. Sounds good to me.”

She wondered if he believed her. To her credit, her voice sounded more confident than she had expected.

Nesta couldn’t have sex with her bodyguard again, under any circumstances. The man was frustrating, stubborn, and an overall pain in her ass. He was the last thing she needed while she worked this case.

So why couldn’t she bring herself to believe it?


	2. What You Want | Bodyguard AU, Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt(s) used:
> 
> Cassian harshly insulting Nesta and her dying inside, but also Nesta saying "Was that supposed to hurt?"

——————————————————————————

How many meetings, back-to-back, could be considered torture? Nesta thought anything more than three should qualify, considering the mental exhaustion kicked in around that mark. Unfortunately, that was only half of her schedule for the day, which meant she would be eating her lunch at her desk and barely had a moment to sit with her thoughts.

In some ways that was a benefit. The man sitting at the small writing desk near the door of her office had been occupying far too much of her brain power as it stood, so a little competition on that front was welcome. She meant what she told him on the way back to her place all those days ago; they couldn’t sleep together again. That would only end in disaster when their whole arrangement fell apart eventually.

Unfortunately for her, Cassian had been thrumming beneath her skin ever since he first touched her.

She tried to ignore him as much as possible, to no avail, and that was especially frustrating. Nesta wasn’t used to being bad at many things. As it turned out, she was terrible when it came to forgetting how Cassian’s warmth had radiated to her bones, how quickly her hips had fallen into rhythm with his, his husky voice as—

Thank the Cauldron for her savior knocking on the door. Helion Day stood within the threshold, a bright smile on his face as he greeted Nesta. His attention slid to the side where Cassian sat and offered him the same warmth he was known to carry with him. Her bodyguard returned it in kind, and Nesta cringed internally at his natural charisma. And his smile. And the way his shoulders shifted beneath his shirt as he stood to shake Helion’s hand. And how his forearms—

“Cassian,” the man stated when Helion asked for his name.

It sounded almost as good rolling off his tongue as it had hers.

“Nice meeting you, Cassian. I’m Helion. Helion Day.”

Cassian looked down at the laptop on his desk, scanning for Helion’s name on his list of approved visitors. Nesta suppressed her eye roll. It was the man’s job, and she supposed her firm hired him to be as thorough as possible. Helion didn’t seem to mind the assessment, if the amused smirk on his objectively perfect face gave anything away.

“So, you got yourself an assistant, Nesta?” he asked, his voice full of mirth.

Helion’s amber eyes were gleaming as he scanned Cassian’s form. The man stiffened at the words, but he didn’t look perturbed. The corners of his eyes crinkled in challenge, but before he could refute Helion’s claim, Nesta opened her mouth.

“I did. He’s proven useful enough.”

Cassian froze, turning slowly toward her with that same element of challenge in his expression. Nesta’s stomach dropped at what that meant for her. His smile quirked up to one side, and she braced herself for the response she knew would be insufferable.

“I’m happy to hear that,” he replied smoothly, adjusting to turn his attention back to Helion. “Nesta’s shared with me that she had low expectations, but I’ve thoroughly met her needs so far.”

Fucking bastard. The smug, arrogant bastard. If her colleague picked up on the innuendo, he didn’t show it.

“He’s been adequate,” she quipped, earning an incredulous look from her bodyguard. “What can I do for you, Helion?”

“I wasn’t sure if you needed anything or had any updates for the Vanserra case.” His face softened as he asked, and Nesta hated that she didn’t have anything noteworthy to tell him at that time. He was close to the case, felt a personal responsibility to the victim, and it wore on him that the conflict of interest prevented him from aiding in Beron’s prosecution.

“I don’t have anything new, but I’ll keep you posted. I promise.” Her voice was soft with sincerity.

The conversation shifted to light-hearted territory, mostly brief updates on the cases Helion recently closed. Nesta continued to shove her salad into her mouth in order to finish before the next round of meetings while they spoke. Cassian was fairly quiet through the interaction, a pensive look all over his place.

Nesta and Helion accompanied each other to the firm meeting with Cassian shadowing them closely. Her colleague didn’t seem nearly as ruffled by Cassian’s presence as she was, almost as if he was unaware of him altogether. Why couldn’t she be as unaffected?

She was granted one small reprieve in the fact that Cassian didn’t go into firm-wide meetings with her. He remained in the small lobby just outside the doors to allow the firm to speak candidly about any business operations or cases that were particularly sensitive. Although he’d signed numerous confidentiality and non-disclosure agreements, he felt his presence in the meetings may impede the usual dynamics.

Plus, as he had pointed out, there was one way in or out of the room. He could manage that while completing any necessary documentation for the day. Doing so would give her a break from all the _distractions,_ he had been sure to mention.

The problem arose when Nesta’s gaze wandered in his general direction despite not being in the room. To her annoyance, the conference room doors and adjacent windows were made of frosted glass, allowing her to see the shadow of Cassian hulking form in the lobby. She hadn’t considered that possibility. The rest of her afternoon was spent pretending she couldn’t see him stretching at the too-small desk, that her body didn’t heat as her eyes raked over his form.

By the time the meetings wrapped up, Nesta was more than wound tight; almost irritable. Her skin seemed to be crawling over her bones, and she was so ready to get back to her office to finish for the day. From there, she could order takeout and sit in the bath until her body settled enough to succumb to her exhaustion.

Everyone filed out of the conference room, Nesta following behind since she knew Cassian would need to fall into step with her anyway. Since their argument about her attempts to dodge him at every opportunity, she’d taken to being a little more cooperative. She was hardly operating at a level of perfection, but she figured if she needed to be agreeable anywhere, it was definitely within the firm that hired her security detail in the first place.

Cassian’s jaw was clenched, his shoulders high with tension, when she passed the small desk. He finished packing up his laptop and other things into his messenger bag and threw it over his shoulder without so much as a glance in her direction. That was certainly new.

“What’s with you?” She didn’t really know why she asked.

“Just heading back to your office.”

The sound of his clipped words raked against her spine. There was almost an element of dejection in his voice; enough to have Nesta wondering what the hell had happened since she went into her meetings. They walked silently side-by-side to the hallway, but before they got too far, Nesta found herself turning to him again.

“What happened while I was in the meeting? Something is off with you.”

Cassian blinked in confusion, pausing his steps to give her his attention. “Nothing happened. I reviewed some reports and drafted others.”

“Then why are you acting like this?” Nesta demanded, her words coming out like a sharp hiss to avoid being overheard.

The hazel of his eyes glowed almost golden in his irritation. “I’m not acting like anything, Nesta. I’m escorting you to your office per my contact; that’s it.” He paused to allow her a chance to respond, but she had nothing to say to that. It almost seemed like he meant to turn and walk away, but another sequence of words flowed out of him as if he was unable to stop them. “Should I smile more? Maybe fetch you a cup of coffee just like you like it or make some copies for you?”

Was this brute really pissed off at her for joking that he was her assistant?

“Is this all because I made a _joke?_ To Helion, of all people? I guarantee you he didn’t think a thing of it.” She hated the high-pitched defensiveness in her tone.

Cassian’s nostrils flared as he focused on taking a deep breath. He closed his eyes through the exhale, and Nesta was mildly tempted to take the opportunity to squeeze his throat. It could be the perfect opportunity.

To her chagrin, his eyes popped open suddenly. “No, it’s not because you made a joke, Nesta. Mother’s tits.” The way he spat her name irritated her, especially because it was the second time in a matter of seconds. He raked a hand through his long, dark hair. “Would you fucking drop it?”

His voice was raising to meet hers, and it wasn’t a display appropriate for the hallway of her law firm. She glanced around, finding a small storage closet and pulling him inside by his forearm. He hissed at the bite of her nails against his skin, but he cooperated well enough. Once she shut the door, she rounded quickly on him.

“No, I won’t drop it. If you’re going to brood around my firm, I have the right to ask. Your irritation might as well be billowing off of you in waves with how much it’s permeating this place,” she hissed.

Cassian rolled his eyes. “Bring that shit somewhere else. I’ve been praised my entire life for my game face, so it’s going to be a hard sell to convince me that this isn’t more to do with whatever the hell is going on in your head.”

“Well, whoever told you that wasn’t paying enough fucking attention. I see it all,” she retorted. Something in his face softened, but she rallied on. “Don’t you dare insinuate I’m making shit up just to fight with you. I don’t have the time.”

“There— that’s what it is. It’s the self-importance. The air of superiority. It grates my fucking nerves.”

“How is that _superior_?! All I said is that I don’t have the time to fight with you.”

Why did it bother her that he thought of her in such a way? It wasn’t the first time she’d heard the criticism; not by a landslide. It was something his tone that irked her, something almost sullen.

Cassian rubbed at his temples. “Nesta,” he warned. “Let. It. Go.”

She crossed her arms across her chest, angling her chin up to meet his gaze. She would do no such thing as letting it go.

His jaw ticked in frustration as if trying to leash his thoughts, but they spilled out of him anyway. “I’ve known a lot of people, but the ego on you is fucking ridiculous. It’s no wonder most of the staff here walk on fucking eggshells and avoid you like the plague.”

Something in her chest cracked at his words, as if he had known right where to strike. Despite the pain rippling through her, she schooled her face into neutrality in order to respond. “Was that supposed to hurt?”

“I wouldn’t think the opinions of the little people could hurt.” The bite in his words remained.

Nesta rolled her eyes. “If you’re hellbent on throwing your fit, fine. You can stay here and brood all you want. I have shit to do.”

She twisted the doorknob enough so that the door cracked. Based on every other interaction they had, she assumed he would try to stop her or move to follow her. He did neither, and for whatever reason, it bothered her. Leaving things on such a negative note didn’t sit right with her, and she was reluctant to leave the closet.

“What are you waiting for?”

“Nothing, I just— this is ridiculous.”

“Agreed,” he breathed, eyes wide in exasperation. “What’s with _you_ today? Your moods have been all over the place.”

“No, they haven’t! I’ve been busy.”

“You’ve definitely been tense. Almost grouchy.” A little playfulness entered his expression again, and her body warmed at the sight. Apparently, the man had blown off a little of his steam in their whisper war.

“I’m not grouchy. And I’m not in a bad mood.”

“Oh?” he murmured, almost dismissively.

The tone of his voice had her bristling in annoyance. Before she could obsess over it, she felt his large hand cupping her upper arm gently, running along the length of it until his long fingers slid against the palm of her hand. He wiggled them teasingly against the sensitive skin.

“Maybe you’re distracted, then?”

Nesta’s eyes snapped up to his, finding them fully crinkled at the corners. Cassian seemed to be far too pleased at his reference to their last argument in the SUV, and her skin burned with the heat of her temper. The smirk on his face was all too similar to that night, and her toes curled involuntarily in her heels. When she didn’t respond after several long seconds, his smirk only widened.

“No one is keeping you here. You’re free to go,” he taunted with a jerk of his chin toward the cracked door.

With a soft hand, Nesta eased the door closed once more without a word. Several more tense seconds passed in absolute silence until she felt Cassian’s warm hands cupping the sides of her neck, his thumbs tracing her jaw.

“Someone needs to teach you to ask for what you want, Archeron.”

Nesta mustered as much bravado as possible. “Are you volunteering?”

His deep chuckle sounded quietly through the small space, his lips nearly grazing hers as he spoke. “I would, but we don’t have time for begging.”

The rasp of his voice had her soaked already, and she cursed her body for being so responsive to the smallest things he deigned to offer. She felt her body grow pliant as he rotated them and pressed her against the wall, a flush rising from her chest and blooming across her cheeks. In that moment, she was grateful for the low light of the closet to spare him the satisfaction of her blush.

Nesta thought she would have to initiate the kiss, but his nose ran gently down the side of her own. Her lips parted as she awaited the feel of his pressed against them, but Cassian decided instead to nip her bottom lip. He pulled it gently into his mouth, running his tongue along it in smooth torture. She surged forward to capture his mouth before he could repeat the action.

Cassian was happy to have her mouth against his, his breathing becoming more ragged as the kiss intensified. He slipped her cropped blazer off her shoulders, and Nesta knew she was gone when she didn’t give half a shit that it had fallen to the floor. With one hand, he deftly popped the first three buttons of her blouse open, giving him a clear view of her bra beneath.

Nesta nearly cried out as she felt the callouses of his fingers grazing the tops of her breasts, but she quickly remembered where they were. With anyone else, she would have shoved them away and refused to cross such a line, but nothing in her was willing to do so with Cassian. Her blouse remained tucked into her pencil skirt, obstructing full access to her chest, but he was undeterred. He worked her slowly, agonizing her with the slow massage of his hands.

She raised her hands to grip his hair at the scalp, and Cassian groaned as quietly as he could, shoving it down until it was barely a recognizable sound. Nesta wanted so badly to hear him fully like she had in the SUV, but she supposed she would rather not be caught.

With sudden urgency, Cassian’s hands moved to the hem of her pencil skirt. He pushed it up over her hips and reached down to cup her gently in his large palm. Her hips bucked against his hand automatically, craving the stroke that would give her any relief.

His mouth placed warm kisses to her neck, and she was absolutely dissolving then. She hoped to the Cauldron that the office had thinned out as much as it usually did so late in the afternoon. Otherwise, they may end up hearing far more than they signed up for at that rate.

“Cassian,” she whispered, the name sounding desperate from her lips.

He slid his hand back to apply pressure to her clit with his fingers, and Nesta was surprised her knees didn’t buckle from the surge of pleasure between her legs. She bit her lip against the moan that rose to her throat, her breath rushing out in pants as she tried to contain the sounds.

She slid one of her hands from his hair, trailing it down his body toward his belt. Before she could feel the cool bite of the metal against her skin, his hand wrapped around hers. He laced their fingers and brought her hand up above her head, pinning it against the wall.

Cassian clicked his tongue in disapproval, moving his lips along her jaw. “I think I remember you saying that wasn’t happening again,” he rasped.

“Did I?”

He pulled his face back to run his nose along hers. “Mhm.” His confirmation was merely a deep rumble through his chest, vibrating across Nesta’s skin. “Do you still want that, Nesta?”

“No,” she whimpered.

She had barely emitted the words before Cassian’s mouth slanted over hers once more. His fingers continued their steady rhythm over her, bringing her closer and closer to the edge as their tongues danced alongside each other. Nesta bucked against him in earnest, painfully regretting the tights she had worn under her skirt. The pressure he applied was sheer perfection, but she so badly wanted to feel his skin against the most delicate part of her, to experience the full warmth of his touch.

Nesta gripped the strands of his hair tightly with one hand and held on to his other hand for dear life. She knew she was white-knuckled as she fought to stay on her own two feet and was eternally grateful for Cassian’s large form pinning her in place. Her rough breathing turned into whimpers once more as her stomach tightened in anticipation of her release, but she couldn’t find it in her to care.

“Shh,” he admonished quietly against her mouth. “You have to stay quiet, or we can’t play anymore.”

Her eyes flew open to glare at him for the threat, but they quickly rolled in their sockets as her stomach grew impossibly tighter. She felt a surge of wetness coating her, and all she could think about what she would give to have his generous girth inside her, rocking her to oblivion.

“Let go, Nesta. I’ve got you.”

At his words, she erupted. Her head hit the wall with a quiet thud, her eyes squeezed shut and her mouth open in a perfect “O”. She strangled back her cries, and Cassian’s lips were on hers immediately to capture the ones she couldn’t contain. Nesta relaxed slightly against the wall to recover as he littered kisses over her cheeks and neck.

“I was right,” he whispered against her skin. “You have the most beautiful come face.”

All she offered was a hum in response, still too weak to entertain much else. “Ever since that night in the SUV, I’ve regretted how I took you because I never saw it. Fuck, it was worth the wait.”

Part of her wondered if he knew exactly what his words did to her, how heat rushed to her core so soon after her release. Her nerves were still so sensitive, but all she could think about was staying wrapped around him in whatever way she could. Cassian kept her hand pinned above her head, but he moved his other to loop around her waist, pulling her as close to his body as possible.

After giving her a couple of minutes to come down, he released her hand from the wall in favor of trailing his own hands over her waist and hips. Before she could respond to his touch, he was lowering his mouth to her collarbone, her chest, and then lowering himself to a knee. Cassian ran his nose along the seam of her tights to tease her before turning his eyes up to lock with hers.

“Let me taste you. Please.”

Nesta couldn’t see them clearly in the dark room, but from where she stood, it looked like his pupils had swallowed his eyes whole. His voice was strained as if he was trying not to outright beg, and she marveled at the idea that someone could be so desperate to pleasure her.

She nodded her head in confirmation, and the regret she felt for her tights returned tenfold. There couldn’t be a garment less conducive to oral sex than those. Getting out of them was bound to be awkward in such a small space. As if reading her mind, his next question came immediately.

“How attached to these are you?” He asked, the fabric pinched between his fingers.

Nesta managed a brief head shake meant to convey that she couldn’t give a fuck less about them. Faster than she could blink, Cassian used his hands to rip the sheer fabric open at the center, leaving her core fully accessible to him. She nearly combusted at the action alone.

His mouth was on her immediately, starting with broad strokes of his tongue that ended in more specific attention to her sensitive clit. He lifted one of her legs over his shoulder for better access, and Nesta had to reach out to clutch the doorknob for balance. Cassian’s tongue worked with languid expertise, encouraging Nesta’s impending release with every swipe.

She writhed under his expert attention, her hip rolling over his mouth as she rode his face. As if forgetting where she was, she paid less attention to the various parts of her body, causing her hand to roll slightly on the doorknob she was using for stability. A seam of light started to appear along the floor, but before her breath could even catch in panic, one of Cassian’s hands left her thigh to ease it shut and pin it in place.

As if sensing their time was quickly running out, he quickened his pace and gently took her clit into his mouth. He alternated between delicate suction and broad strokes with his tongue until Nesta was coming again. Her release wracked through her entire body, and she cupped the back of his head tightly to help her remain upright. Cassian took a second to ease her down before standing quickly to brace her against him, placing a chaste kiss to her mouth.

“The things I could do to you,” he mused, smoothing her pencil skirt back down her hips.

She regretted the loss of his warmth as soon as he pulled away to adjust himself and grab his bag from the ground. Nesta took care of buttoning her blouse and tucking her shirt in, pretending not to notice the exposure she felt beneath her skirt with her ripped tights. If nothing else, they served as a reminder of some of the best head she’d ever had.

Once she straightened, she realized Cassian was holding her blazer out for her to put on. She eased into it and allowed him to help get it over her shoulders, the action difficult with the limitation on workable space around them. The pair shared a laugh at their awkward movements before he gripped her shoulders gently and turned her around.

The soft smile he wore softened her to their earlier bickering, as much as she loathed to admit it. It revealed a small dimple, and Nesta resisted the urge to reach up and trace it with her fingers.

“I’m sorry,” she said instead, hoping to shift the energy between them slightly. “I pushed you too far. I had no right to do that.”

Cassian shook his head. “No. You were right. I made my mood your problem. I didn’t mean that shit I said, by the way.”

“Already forgotten.”

His hands rubbed her upper arms gently. “I’ll check that the coast in clear and then we can pack up to head to your place, yeah?”

She nodded. Cassian eased the door open to peek outside, and upon finding the hallway empty, he stepped back to open the door fully. The two of them walked as casually as possible to Nesta’s office, although, there was an awkwardness to his usually balanced gait.

Once they were within the four walls of her office, Nesta had to ask. “What about you? You didn’t give me the chance to reciprocate, so are you—“

Cassian didn’t look up from the writing desk where he gathered his files. “Currently tucked into my waistband. I’ll be fine in a few minutes.”

She blinked at his casual tone. “Okay. Well, just so you know, I would have.”

He looked up at her then. “I appreciate the offer. There’s no way I could have been quiet enough.”

He said it as if explaining why he didn’t take his usual route to work that morning or as if declining an offer for lunch. Nesta didn’t know if she was annoyed or impressed. Regardless, the words themselves made her cheeks heat.

Without a word, she gathered the rest of her things and walked toward the door. Before she walked out, Cassian hand wrapped gently around her bicep. She turned toward him, noting the arrogant mirth in his expression.

“How about you though? Was it... adequate?”

For the love of the Cauldron.

No matter how annoyed she was, she wasn’t capable of a lie. He would see through it immediately, anyway. She managed a nod as she whisked out of her office, pretending the deep rumble of his laugh didn’t send a shiver down her spine.

——————————————————————————


	3. As I Ask | Bodyguard AU, Part 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt Used—  
> "You will do as I ask, Nesta." "And not because I'm playing Alpha Male here, I'm trying to keep you safe and alive, for fucks sake." — You already know for what it is love;) — from julemmaes 💕

——————————————————————————

The drive to Nesta’s apartment was fairly quiet, but it wasn’t awkward, all things considered. One would assume that getting eaten out in the supply closet at work would make the air around her and her bodyguard a little tense, but it was quite the opposite. She decided to explicitly ignore that.

There was still a certain tension in Cassian’s shoulders despite his insistence that he was fine. Maybe it had to do with the fact that he’d been left unsatisfied in their dalliance, but she assumed he was too proud to ever admit to it, even if it were true. As wonderful as both orgasms had been for her, she could help but feel a little shame at being the only one to have enjoyed herself. He’d insisted he was fine, but Nesta didn’t believe him. Not in the least.

His voice pulled her from her spiral. “I got a call from Azriel while you were in your meeting.”

“Azriel?”

“Yeah, Azriel. He’s my partner on your case; the unsung hero, if you will.” He smirked a little at his joke. Nesta didn’t return the expression being that she had no clue what the fuck he was on about. “He lays low, does a lot of recon. Anyway, he identified an unmarked SUV making a pass by your apartment complex the night of the firm’s party. We didn’t think much of it since it was a one-off.” He pulled into an open parking spot, scanning the lot with laser focus. “I’ll finish when we get inside.”

Nesta climbed out of the SUV and met him at the front of it, as per protocol. Cassian shadowed her on the way to her apartment door, and she pretended she couldn’t feel the warmth of him with such a close proximity. A blush rose to her chest despite her efforts, anyway.

The pair entered her apartment, and Cassian dropped heavily into an oversized, cushioned armchair near her bookshelf. Nesta busied herself with hanging her work bag and plugging in her phone and laptop to charge. She dutifully ignored that he was encroaching on her happy space with his hulking form. He rubbed at his face roughly before he started speaking again.

“That same SUV was seen again, same driver, passing in front of the firm yesterday. That made he uncomfortable, but with the nature of what you all do, it could have been coincidence. Until today, when Azriel called to tell me the same SUV was parked outside this building for almost an hour this afternoon. They walked the perimeter of your building almost a dozen times.”

Nesta gulped down too thick air at what he revealed to her. His tension was starting to make a little more sense, as it turned out.

“So is this the really long version of you telling me to watch my back?”

Cassian’s eyes met hers under his lowered brow. He wasn’t in the mood for her jesting.

“No. This is me telling you that Azriel is outlining a transport protocol to a safe house. Only bring the necessities. We need it to look like you’re still living here.” He must have seen the incredulity in her expression because he held up a large hand before she could say anything. “Don’t fight me on this, Nesta. Just pack a fucking bag.”

“Save me the alpha male bullshit, Cassian. I don’t have to jump every time you deem it fit. Have you ever thought to consider my opinions in how we move forward?” Nesta fumed. “Actually, don’t answer that. You haven’t.”

A sound similar to a growl sounded from Cassian’s chest. “That’s not the fucking gig, sweetheart. Its not ‘see what Nesta is content with today and hope she cooperates.’ Your safety, for the foreseeable future, is under my jurisdiction. So, you _will_ do as I ask, Nesta,” he seethed. “And not because I’m playing alpha male here. I’m trying to keep you safe and alive, for fuck’s sake.”

His chest heaved as he caught his breath, and he had the good sense to blanch a bit at his unrehearsed outburst. Nesta wasn’t sure what got into her, but she marched over to where he sat and gripped his face roughly in her hand. She struggled to grip his broad jaw with her cupped hand, her thumb on one cheek and her fingers on the other. However pitiful the grasp was, it served her purpose in earning his undivided attention.

“Don’t you dare talk to me like that,” she seethed, her voice smokier than usual.

Those painfully beautiful hazel eyes, marbled with greens and golds, narrowed on her and scanned her face furiously. “Don’t be so fucking hardheaded.”

His voice was nothing more than a quiet rasp, far too similar to how he’d sounded in that damned supply closet less than an hour prior. It surprised Nesta how quickly a slight change in his voice shifted the air around them. She was left speechless, hand still firmly cupping his jaw. His pupils dilated as he wet his lips and swallowed thickly.

Damn her if she didn’t mirror his action. He reached up to grasp her wrist with his hand, thumb falling against the most vulnerable underside. He pulled her down to straddle his lap, cupping the back of her neck firmly to bring her forehead to his.

“You’re still not asking, you know.”

“Well,” she began, her voice breathier than she wanted. “I’m not going to beg, so you can let that dream die.”

“I’d die a thousand deaths to hear my name roll off those pretty lips, Nesta.”

A feeling of betrayal swept through her when her words— her one solid ally in the world— failed her again. She looked into the hazel eyes that bore into her own, and she had to clench her jaw against the throb in her core under his attention.

“I’ll go first, if you want... show you how to get more for yourself, how to keep from being so disappointed by the men sharing your bed.”

Nesta could only nod at his words. She crashed her lips against his mouth and rolled her hips against him. The moans that left him were a most delicious sort of torture, and she felt the vibration of them down to her curled toes. Too soon, he tore his mouth from hers to cup her face in his hands, the most sincere expression on his face.

“You wanted to reciprocate, yeah?”

She swallowed thickly, uttering a sound closer to a whimper than an actual confirmation. He kissed her thoroughly again before gripping her by the hips and rolling them over his hardened length at a steady rhythm.

“Then I should tell you how I haven’t stopped thinking of it. What that beautiful mouth would look like wrapped around my cock in the low light of that closet,” he rasped.

Nesta wove her hands into his hair to pull him as close to her body as possible. The heat of him steadied her and made her breathless at the same time. Maybe it had been a bad idea to let Cassian talk her through things without knowing she would survive it.

“How I want nothing more than to know what that godsdamned mouth could do put to a better use, to know how it feels to have you bobbing down the length of me until I can’t breathe.”

“ _Fuck_ , Cassian,” she moaned, her core nearly aching at the words.

“I’ve already pictured you on your knees for me, Nesta. Your blue eyes watering as you look at me, them rolling in their sockets as I hit the back of your tight throat. How hoarse your voice would be when you asked me to fuck your mouth.”

His cock twitched beneath her, and it made her feel oddly justified that he was as tortured as she was by the scene he painted.

“And when I come Nesta, fuck. To know what your throat could feel like as it tightens in time with my cock and you swallow me down... I can barely consider it without coming in my pants.”

“Ohmygod,” Nesta mumbled as she leaned back, running her hands down his chest toward his belt. She fumbled with the buckle until his warm hands covered hers and those eyes, just as wrecked, locked on to hers.

“Do you want that, too?” She nodded. “Then tell me. Say it back to me. But change one thing— one thing should be yours alone.”

Nesta lowered her face to his neck, leaving a trail of warm kisses up to his jaw. Her lips brushed it as she spoke, and she was pleased to hear her voice was steadier than she anticipated. She curled her fingers around his belt and waistband, running them back and forth as she laid out her cards.

“I can’t stop thinking about taking you in my mouth.” Cassian’s head hit the couch cushion, a long, guttural moan leaving his throat. He wasn’t lying when he mentioned not being quiet enough for office sex.

“My mouth watered for you the first time I touched you,” she continued, and his hands massaged her wrists gently over his lap. “So that’s what I want. I want to put my ‘godsdamned mouth’ to good use, to see you fall apart under my tongue, to hear the sounds you make as I work you.”

His grip tightened on her, and she heard him swallow loudly through his ragged breaths. “I want you so deep that you hit the back of my throat.” She sat up then, emboldened by his reaction to her words. She looked into his face as she finished her list, prepared with her slight change.

“But I want your hands holding my hair back as I work. I want your hips as still as you can possibly manage as I take care of you. I want you at my mercy, Cassian. And when you’re on the brink, and I take you as deep as I can, I don’t want you to hold back. I want to hear you fall apart for me. Only me.”

“Oh, fuck,” he groaned loudly, his hips snapping into hers as he surged forward to capture her mouth.

The two of them worked together to free him of his pants and underwear, pushing them down his thighs as she kneeled before him. Unsatisfied with how much of him was on display, Nesta ran her hands from his hips up to his chest, taking care of each of his shirt’s buttons on her way back down.

Cassian’s stomach was clenched as he watched her with a preternatural stillness. His chest heaved under the force of his fraying self-control, made even more difficult by Nesta reaching for his hardened length. At the first touch of her skin against him, he grunted, and any thought she entertained about teasing him went out the window. She needed to hear more of those sounds.

He was the portrait of male arrogance save for the devastated look on his handsome face. One of his arms was draped along the arm of the couch, and the other across the back. Licking her lips, she held eye contact as she took him in her mouth, running her tongue along the sensitive bottom seam delicately. Cassian swore at the sensation, but he resisted the impulse to rock his hips forward, albeit barely.

Nesta lowered her head a little more, flattening her tongue against him until she felt him hit the back of her throat. His hips twitched of their own volition, but Cassian remained as still as possible. If not for his cock in her mouth, she may have offered him some words of praise for his efforts. She pulled back then, pausing at the head to hollow out her cheeks and suck him properly.

“Ohmyfuckingod,” he muttered. She glanced up just in time to see his hand leave the couch arm to cover his mouth, his thumb and forefinger pressing roughly into his cheekbones as he composed himself.

Maintaining the same pressure over him, she held his gaze as she bobbed down his shaft. Cassian’s eyes rolled at the action, his hand squeezing his cheeks more roughly than before. She resented that she wasn’t feeling that grip against her; even more that he was leashing himself.

She released him with a soft pop. “Cassian,” she chided, reaching up to grip his forearm and pull his hand away from his mouth.

He had the nerve to draw his bottom lip between his teeth as she brought his hand to her hair. The sight of it had her soaked, and he hadn’t even touched her anywhere noteworthy. Nesta wasn’t sure what she expected when she lowered her mouth over him again, but the gentleness with which he pulled her hair back surprised her. Starting at her temple, he raked his thick fingers through her hair as he pulled it away from her face, bringing his other hand down to do the same. Doing so gave him a firm grip of her strands at the back of her head, but his hands remained relatively pliant. It was almost as if he was taking care to not hurt her.

She worked her hand in time with her mouth, causing his brow to furrow deeply in concentration. He transferred her hair into one hand and brought the other to cup her cheek.

“Nesta,” he breathed. “You’re doing so well, beautiful girl.”

He grunted against the urge to thrust up into her mouth as she quickened her pace. Cassian threw his head back against the cushion once more, punctuating each of her strokes with a groan.

“Ah— ah— ah— _Nesta_.” His head snapped forward, his eyes wild. “Sweetheart, I’m close. I’m gonna—“ A choked sound interrupted him as he readied his voice. His thumb brushed up and down her cheek as he spoke again through a soft growl. “Can I come, Nesta?”

She managed a nod. Cassian’s face crumpled, his jaw slack, as he awaited the crash of his pleasure. His grip in her hair tightened as his torso curled toward her to fight the canting of his hips. Nesta tightened her grip and the seam of her lips as he hardened further, signaling to her that he was indeed as close as he claimed. She rose up a little higher on her knees to better her angle, and within seconds Cassian erupted.

The growl that left him, from somewhere deep in his chest, was one of the single most erotic sounds Nesta ever had the pleasure of hearing. Knowing that she pulled it from him satisfied far more than she was willing to admit, even to herself. She swallowed him down as she continued her movements, Cassian moaning along with each one while she finished him. Once he grew too sensitive, he applied gentle pressure to her cheek and the back of her head, stilling her as he began to soften.

Nesta released him, and Cassian’s hands left her immediately. Initially his urgency concerned her, but when she looked up at him, she realized he was laid back with both hands covering his face, his chest heaving as he tried to recover. She flattened her hands against his stomach and ran them up his chest with grounding pressure to help. He reached for her then, eyes still closed, and pulled her back onto his lap.

“You _are_ loud,” she teased quietly.

Cassian only cracked one of his eyes to glare sidelong at her, earning a light laugh. An asymmetrical smile broke across his face as he eased his eyes closed once more and focused on his breathing.

“You’re one to talk.”

Nesta nipped his ear for the jab and was rewarded with a full, true smile then. This time, she didn’t resist tracing the dimple she noticed earlier with her fingers. Cassian’s eyes opened at feeling her touch, his glazed eyes searching her face for her motive.

“I hadn’t noticed them before today,” she explained dumbly.

His large hand wrapped around hers, bringing her fingers to his mouth to nip the pads of her fingers. “Probably because you make it your life’s work to piss me off.” There was amusement dripping from his words, but Nesta feigned offense anyway.

“You’re one to talk.”

His eyes flashed in challenge at his own words being used against him. “Think you can forgive me?” He murmured the words into the skin of her neck, his hand trailing down her body until his fingers were pressed against her core. Her hips rocked against them of their own volition, pulling a whimper from her throat.

“Maybe,” she breathed. His hoarse chuckle was her reward.

Her reward; possibly her warning.

“Shit, I kind of forgot that I ripped these.”

“‘I didn’t.”

Nesta crashed her mouth to his, and Cassian surprised her by running his tongue along the seam of her lips. She’d been with so many men who refused such things after giving them head, but she wasn’t complaining. Cassian crooked two of his long fingers inside of her, easing them in about halfway and sliding them out. Nesta’s hips rocked against his hand as he repeated the movement, pressing slightly deeper until he felt the rough tissue that had her sucking in a breath.

As if remembering their earlier lesson, the words tumbled out of her that time. “Yes, Cassian. Right there. Don’t stop.”

A warm, sensual chuckle rumbled in his chest. “Good, Nesta.”

He continued working her at a snail’s pace, and Nesta thought she may bust at the seams if he didn’t allow her release. With each rock of his fingers, she cried out, her hips jerking toward his hand involuntarily.

“You took me so well, beautiful. I want to make you—“

Without a thought, Nesta clapped her hand over Cassian’s full lips, effectively silencing him. His eyes widened in surprise at her, simmering with a heat she hadn’t yet seen.

“I can’t,” she whimpered. “You can’t say shit like that to me. I’m too close.”

With his free hand, Cassian gently removed hers from his mouth and surged forward to nip her bottom lip. His fingers never faltered in their quest to have Nesta crying out in pleasure as he kissed her roughly. Releasing her wrist, he flattened his hand against her lower back, rocking her against his fingers as her thrusts turned erratic.

Nesta’s cries grew louder, her entire body tense as she leaned her forehead against Cassian’s. With one more stroke of his fingers, her released barreled through her with such intensity she saw stars behind her eyelids. Just when she thought she couldn’t possibly endure anymore pleasure, he hooked his fingers roughly against that patch of skin, causing her hips to jerk toward him.

She was only vaguely aware of the curse she screamed into the apartment. Cassian stroked her softly until the shudders stopped wracking her body and her cheek fell against his shoulder. He wiped his fingers with the hem of his shirt and rested his hand on her thigh, using his free hand to pet her hair away from her face.

“You alright?”

Nesta huffed a laugh. “Ask me in a minute, maybe.”

The two of them shared a prolonged silence, the only sound in the room being their heavy breaths. They remained that way until a contented hum vibrated through Cassian.

“We should probably get packed.”

Nesta groaned in response. “I have a question first.”

“Hit me.”

“Was that the reason for your mood after the meeting earlier? I mean, it makes sense. It’s just that... you should know that I knew you were lying. You could have just told me to wait until we got into the car to talk about it.”

Cassian chuckled. “First of all, we both know that’s bullshit. You would have insisted at least a little.” Nesta only shrugged, squealing as he pinched her side gently. “Secondly, I did explain part of my reason for being irritated; but you weren’t happy with that, further proving my point.”

They were quiet for a couple of minutes before a thought occurred to Nesta.

“Helion really bothered you?” she asked, sitting back a little to look into his face.

“He didn’t bother me.” He raised his hand to place a rogue strand of hair behind her ear. “I couldn’t help but compare how the two of you interact to us, is all. It all seemed easy, and I let myself regret for a second that we’ve never seemed to have that rapport.”

“You’ve never given me the impression that you wanted that kind of rapport with me.” She wasn’t sure why she whispered the words.

Cassian’s eyes grew larger, and that characteristic smirk graced his face. “You thought I’d rather deal with your attitude all the time?”

Nesta swatted at him, and his laugh seemed to echo down to her very bones.

“What if we do better? To get along, I mean.”

“Sounds like a plan, sweetheart.”

Two firm pats against her thigh, and Cassian was sitting forward to prompt them both to make a move. Nesta slid off his lap begrudgingly, smoothing her skirt over her hips for what felt like the twentieth time that day. Cassian adjusted his clothing wordlessly and walked toward Nesta’s spare room to gather what little he had stored there.

And true to her word, Nesta marched toward her own room to try her hand at cooperating.

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End file.
